Just Another Dead Soldier
by Fly666monkey
Summary: So many nameless, faceless heroes have died in the wars against the Formors, heroes who now lie buried on the side of the road. Each of them had lives they had left behind, and the people who must endure without them...
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Mabinogi. This fic can also be found on the Nexon forums under my username "DrThanatos"**

Dugald Aisle. On an ordinary day, these woods would be vibrant and alive with the sounds of nature. The birds would be singing, the bears would be growling, and the foxes would be scurrying along as they chased after their next meal.

However, on this day, the forests of Dugald Aisle were silent. Not even the wind dared make a sound, for fear of disturbing the aura of gloom that had fallen over the land, for this was no ordinary day. On this day, the stench of death filled the air of the forest.

It had been a simple mission. A small band of kobold bandits had set up camp outside of Dunbarton, and Fallon had sent four of his soldiers to deal with the problem. One was a dark-haired human male named Alandius, another was a fair-skinned elf woman named Sarah. The third was a muscular redheaded giant named Krog. The forth was a beautiful copper-haired human woman named Tira. Four soldiers were sent in to slay these foul kobolds. Only three were left standing.

Tira lay sprawled on the ground, her mangled face covered in blood. During the battle, she hadn't seen one of the bandits sneaking up behind her. That bandit delivered a solid blow to her head, crushing her skull, and then had proceeded to savagely attack her helpless body repeatedly, until her comrades forced the creature off her. Though they had prevented the beast from killing her outright, Tira had suffered severe internal damage, and was now bleeding from every orifice in her body. Alandius desperately threw every healing spell his strength would allow at her, but her injuries were just too severe. Tira was dying, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"Alandius…" Tira choked.

"No, Tira, save your strength." Alandius said softly as he knelt beside her.

"We're going to get you to a healer," Sarah said sweetly, "Just hang on."

"Sarah," Krog said gravely as he, too, knelt next to his dying comrade, "you know as well as I do that Tira's not going to make it."

Alandius and Sarah bowed their heads as they felt the cold sting of Krog's words. No matter how much they wanted to deny it, they knew he had spoken the truth.

"Guys…" Tira began to say through her failing voice, "…let me…speak."

The three soldiers turned towards their dying comrade and perked their ears. "Go ahead, Tira." They said in somber unison.

Tira began to rasp as she struggled to speak. "I…need to say…something. Something…I've been struggling… to say… for a year…" Tira's eyes went wide as she noticed her vision growing dim. A tear streamed down her face, as she knew her time in this world was almost over. Using all her strength, she tilted her head towards Sarah and spoke what would be her final words.

"Sarah…I…always… loved you…"

Tira had no sooner finished her sentence than when she vomited a small amount of blood. "Tira!" Sarah screamed as she grabbed her comrade's hand. A tiny tear streamed down her face as Tira's words sunk in. _"Why, Tira? Why did you never tell me? I wouldn't have objected, I would have been glad to be by your side, just to see you smile! Don't go, Tira, not like this! Not now!"_

Sarah's train of thought ended when the sound of Tira's forced breathing stopped. Everyone's eyes widened in horror as they desperately tried to deny what was happening. "Tira?" Sarah said though stifled sobs as she let go of her hand.

Tira's hand fell to the ground, limp, her body now immobile and silent. Tears began to flow like rivers from the faces of her comrades as the awful truth hit them.

Tira was dead.

"Tira…" Alandius sobbed as he took off his left gauntlet and felt Tira's neck, desperately checking for a pulse. There was none.

"TIRA!"

His screams echoed through the forest, breaking the cold silence that had hung over Dugald Aisle for what seemed like an eternity. The three soldiers sat in silence, all immobile save for Krog, who took a moment to run his hand down Tira's bloodstained face and closed her eyes. As he brought his hand back, he felt a small drop of water hit his head. "Rain…" He said as he lifted his head towards the sky, "…even the Gods are in mourning."

For nearly an hour, none of them moved or spoke as rain began to pour from the darkened skies. They had just lost one of their closest friends, and were still reeling from the shock. Tira was gone, and she was never coming back.

"We need to get out of the rain before we catch pneumonia." Krog finally said as he stood up. "I'll carry her body."

Alandius nodded as he followed suit. "Alright, just be careful with her." He said darkly. "Sarah," he said as he turned to face her, "let's go."

Sarah didn't even respond. She simply continued to kneel over where Tira was laying, her face completely blank.

"Sarah! We have to go!" Alandius shouted.

Sarah rose to her feet, her expression unchanged as she nodded in Alandius' General direction. With everyone ready to leave, Krog carefully lifted Tira's body and cradled her in his arms like an infant as the trio marched towards Emain Macha to bury her.


	2. Chapter 2

Three soldiers marched through the Dugald residential area, carrying a sense of gloom that seemed out of place amongst the laughter of the children that were playing in its streets. They barely lifted their faces as one of them turned to speak to the others.

"So, who's going to tell her the news?" Alandius asked his comrades.

"You're a better speaker than I am." Krog responded. "Plus, you _are_ our squad leader. This is your responsibility."

Alandius growled slightly a Krog's bluntness. "Of course… and what about you, Sarah?" He asked as he turned to face her.

"I'll just… wait outside…" She stuttered, still in shock from what had happened the previous day.

"Very well," Alandius said coldly, "let's go, Krog."

The two men turned towards a small cobblestone house across the street they were on and walked slowly towards the front door. Both of them took in a deep breath as they prepared for what would await them inside. "Here goes nothing." Alandius said as he knocked on the door.

"Just a minute!" Came a woman's voice from inside the house. They could hear the clomping of her shoes as she rushed up and opened the door. "Oh, Alanduis, Krog, what are you doing here?" Asked the middle-aged woman with copper hair.

"Are you Ms. Fowler, Tira's mother?" Alandius asked gravely.

"Yes, I am." Ms. Fowler asked, a confused look on her face. "Why, what's going on?"

"May we step inside?"

"Um, sure?" Ms. Fowler said, still confused.

Alandius and Krog nodded as they walked inside the sparsely furnished house, making their way over to a nearby couch. As they both sat down, Alandius motioned Ms. Fowler to join them. Ms. Fowler got the message, and took a seat in the rocking chair across from them. For several minutes, none of them spoke, Alandius and Krog not wanting to tell Tira's mother what had happened, while Ms. Fowler waited for her guests to speak.

"Where's Tira?" Ms. Fowler finally asked. "Where is my daughter? I thought she was with your squad?"

Alandius gulped as he readied himself to respond. "Ms. Fowler…" He said darkly, "…Tira fell."

Ms. Fowler emitted an audible gasp, not believing what she had just heard. "No… Tira… my little angel, dead?" She cried. "This… this can't… you're lying! You have to be!" Her screams of sorrow were loud enough to be heard in Iria. "Please," She begged, "tell me you're lying."

"I'm afraid not." Alandius said. "Tira was killed by kobold bandits around noon yesterday. The funeral is set for tonight, just outside Emain Macha."

"Tira… my little baby…" Ms. Fowler cried through choked breaths. "You…" She said angrily as she lifted her head to face Alandius, "…you were supposed to protect her! I trusted you!"

"Damnit woman, we are at war!" Alanduis shouted. "In a war, soldiers are going to die! That's just how it works! Perhaps you should have thought of that before sending your daughter to the academy!"

"Alandius!" Krog shouted over Ms. Fowler's heaping sobs, "Watch your tounge! This woman just lost her daughter! Show a little respect!"

Alandius scowled. "Whatever." He said coldly as he got up to leave. "We're done here. Let's go, Krog."

Krog seethed as he stood up and followed Alandius out the door. "We have to leave, Ms. Fowler." He said with a much more loving tone than Alandius had used, "A bank check will arrive in the mail within a few days to compensate you for your loss."

Ms. Fowler shot Krog a cold look. "Money?" She screamed, "You think gold can replace my daughter?"

Krog hung his head, knowing how hurt and offended the poor woman must feel. "I'm sorry. I'm just a soldier. I don't make the decisions." He said as he turned around and followed Alandius outside. As he reached the door, however, Ms. Fowler called to him.

"Krog, wait!"

He turned around slowly and gave the now-standing woman a weak smile. "Yes, milady?"

"Before you leave, I want to ask you…" she began, still sobbing heavily over her loss, "…what was the last thing my daughter said?"

Krog smiled as he responded. "She told the person she loved her true feelings." He said tactfully, knowing that this was the wrong time to inform her of her daughter's homosexuality.

"I see…" Ms. Fowler said softly. "Thank you, Krog."

Krog smiled as he stepped outside and closed the door behind him. As he stepped outside, he noticed Sarah leaning against the house, her face as blank as it was the day Tira died. "Sarah…" he began, but he cut himself short, knowing that there was nothing he could say to ease her suffering.

"Alright you two," Alandius said coldly, "let's get going. We need to leave now if we want to make it to the funeral on time."

Krog and Sarah nodded as they began marching to Emain Macha, so they could honor their fallen comrade…

* * *

_Look at your young men fighting.  
__Look at your women crying.  
__Look at your young men dying.  
The way they've always done before…_

-lyrics from Guns n' Roses' _Civil War._


End file.
